Colic...regression? I'm just so upset.

[mrs.t]

My DS is 15 1/2 weeks old. He was what I presumed to be colicky for probably about 3-9 weeks old. Then he had been steadily improving from 9-13 weeks. Happy, smiling, sleeping well, etc. Now, since 14 weeks, he seems to be back to square one. Constant fussing, night waking (he was sleeping for 4-6 hour stetches) and just generally miserable. I thought we were on our way to having a happy, pleasant little boy and it just seems to be worse. I keep trying to blame it on a growth spurt, the heat, the fact that we don't go on as many walks because it's so hot, etc., etc., but it's still making me lose my mind. Is this normal? Have any of you BTDT? Please tell me it will get better, or share what worked for you. I read HBOTB and that helped in the beginning weeks, but he really seemed to be fine without the 5 S's for a while! I'm still swaddling him at night. He naps maybe 3 times a day, but for about 20-30 minutes only each time. He is EBF every 2-3 hours. It doesn't seem to be related to anything in my diet, because, as I said before we had a few weeks where he was really content and I was eating the same things. HELP!!!

[toughcookie]

so do you have central air? is his nursery, or your bedroom (wherever he sleeps) A/C? you say you're swaddling - is he sweaty? mine sleeps very badly when he's lying there sweating, and i don't swaddle. (he's crying now in bed, it's almost 90 in here... sigh.)

in my limited experience (n=1), cutting out outdoor time leads right away to a crabbier baby. in the heat it is hard, yes, but do you have a lake or pond or something with some shade that you can get to and just hang out at to give him some breezes, grass smells, etc. to stimulate him?

[Bokonon]

Could it be the 4-month sleep regression? We went through that and it was a nightmare, but like everything else, it soon passed!

[mrs.t]

Yup, we have A/C in the bedroom and living room, so whenever he sleeps it's always cool and I always check to make sure he feels cool. The sleep regression is almost a separate issue than the fussing. My only thought is that he is bored...especially because he has gotten more active.

What happens with sleep regression?

[Bokonon]

http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/4mo-sleep.html

[mrs.t]

Thank you for the link. That makes sense. Maybe he is so crabby during the day because he's hungry, but too distracted to have a satisfying feed? He definitely looks around a lot while nursing and pulls of the breast.

Which leads to another concern...it seems like he is "snacking" during the day, so I'm concerned that he isn't getting enough of the hindmilk. He's been a lot more gassy lately, could this be due to not finishing the breast? I guess I have some research to do, again!

[jenfl]

Hi! My son is nearly the same age and has just hit a really fussy time in the last week, too. He seems to be running into a lot of things -- development spurt (he's this -> <- close to rolling over and is wiggling his body a lot more); growth spurt (he's been nursing both sides where he usually just does one); suspicious bumps on his bottom gums (and drooling, and biting his hand); and the tail end of a cold.

Around now there's a lot of leaps that our sons are hitting. Things get rough for a week or two (or three), then they smooth out again. For a while, at least.

We just try everything we can think of to help him calm down and we try lots of new things, because he's grown so much since his last fussy stage. Sometimes, all we can do is snuggle him for a few minutes while he cries.

Taking a walk outside nearly always fixes things. Even just down to the end of the street and back will give him a new lease on things for a few minutes, at least.

Good luck! And don't worry, it'll get better soon. Until the next time.